“Good.” He steals the joint again, our fingers brushing. Silence, before gesturing out to the lights again. “You didn't answer my question. You theme dogging Mr. Claus?”
My laugh dissolves into a cough after I take another hit. “Definitely not.”
When he takes it from me this time, his finger brushes mine. That knot that's been pulling tighter in my gut all week is about to snap.
He finally takes the hit, squinting through the smoke. “Parker won't stop looking at me.”
I don't bother turning around because I already knew he would be.
“It's his paranoia.” I shake my head when he offers it back to me.
“He have that often with you? Or am I special because I'm friends with him?” When I fail to hide my laugh and turn back to him, my train of thought dies. He's staring at my lips, his body angled in close and his leg positioned to cage me in. It looks intimate.
“You haven't spent much time with him here. You both fighting too?” I ask instead.
“Ah,” Asher murmurs, and when silence falls between us, the air thickens. I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time.
He shuffles closer, and the first wave of his cologne almost knocks me unconscious. “Are we fighting, Venom?”
If I leaned forward, just a smidge…
“There you are!” Camille pipes in, lowering beside Asher and dipping her feet into the water. “I thought I'd lost you.”
He reclines back on his hands, eyes pinned on me. “Not yet.”
Chapter 13
Ivy
I've always had problems falling asleep. I looked it up once and found myself on a website promoting crystals and telling me that I have a restless spirit. I rolled my eyes and laughed, before clicking “add to cart”.
They worked for a while. Until they didn't and I realized I was just drinking more alcohol than usual around that time.
I throw the blankets off my body and grab my phone, noticing a little yellow ghost in my notifications. Snapchat? I haven't beenon this app for years, but I haven't braved myself to delete it since it holds so many photos of my younger self.
Ash J
I tap on it and his face floods the screen. Shit. I'm about to exit when he shifts the camera between hands, and that look—fuck, that look—nails me to the mattress. Distance doesn't matter. The alcohol swimming in his eyes doesn't matter. He cuts straight through every layer I've built. I’m thankful I can hide behind the camera at least, because if he looked at me like this right now, right here, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. Weak? Probably. I can live with regret later.
The camera dips lower, crawling down his chest. He hooks his thumb through the belt buckle. My breathing turns shallow.
“Ohhh, Asher!” Someone slams into his frame, but that smirk carves deeper into his face.
I strangle the volume, afraid I’ll wake Parker. He shifts, his snores muffled through the room as his pillow hits the ground.
Am I going to hell for this?
No…you've done worse.
My fingers trail down my stomach, grazing lace as he rips his belt free with one savage pull.
“Are you making a sex tape?” Camille's voice scrapes like nails on a chalkboard.
“Yeah.” He keeps his focus welded to the lens. “Recording this for you for later.” He brings the camera close, his lips forming a silent command through the screen….Lie.
“Hot. Best boyfriend ever.”
Jesus. How drunk are they all.
